


Muddy Waters

by Hydra_bitch_please01



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Daisa, Daisy Johnson / Daniel Sousa - Freeform, Daisysous, Dousa, F/M, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, I have no idea why I love this ship but now I do and I cant stop myself, Love out of their time, POV Skye | Daisy Johnson, Post-Episode: s7e6 Adapt or Die, Pre-Relationship, Sousy, daisy x daniel, daniel x daisy, idk the ship name lol but THEY ARE CUTE AND I SHIP IT, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25041658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hydra_bitch_please01/pseuds/Hydra_bitch_please01
Summary: A short two-shot that takes place after AOS S7x06 when Daisy wakes up
Relationships: Daisy Johnson / Daniel Sousa, Skye | Daisy Johnson / Daniel Sousa
Comments: 23
Kudos: 218





	1. Death Sounds Better

Daisy gasped, her lungs contracting harshly as she tasted stale air and heard a soft click of metal above her. “Hey. Hey. It’s alright,” someone said - a man’s voice, she thought, but she could barely hear over the pounding in her own head. Blinding fluorescent lights filled her vision with spots as she attempted to open her eyes. She squinted and blinked rapidly before her surroundings came into view. Namely, her friend Jemma Simmons standing over her.

  
“Daisy,” Jemma said in the all-too-familiar overly calm tone she would recognize anywhere. “You’re safe. We are in the Zephyr One. I had you placed in here to keep you in a medical coma for sustained surgical treatment and to speed up the healing process.”

  
She took a deep breath, her brain quieting slightly at the realization of where she was. _Home._

  
“You lost a substantial amount of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, large sections of your thyroid and parathyroid glands and -”

  
“Yea, yea, I get it,” Daisy groaned, nodding gently and placing her hand on her neck where her skin burned like hell.

  
“No, you do not,” Jemma chided. “You would have died had I no access to this pod. Your body underwent a great deal and you still need rest to heal. However, your vitals, blood cell count, your thyroid gland has been fully restored along with the epithelial tissue of the parathyroid gland repaired.”

  
Daisy nodded a silent okay, but pulled herself up into a sitting position, thankful that the top was completely unlatched. 

  
“Slowly,” her friend chided with a sigh.

  
Ignoring Simmons, she groaned in pain and sat up fully. “Great. Agent Sousa? He -” Before she could finish her thought, still more woozy and unstable from her injuries than she’d admit, she saw Daniel Sousa standing next to her friend when he spoke up.

“I’m here.” He took a step forward and smiled, his voice softening slightly. “You passed out. You probably don’t remember, but I brought you -” he paused momentarily, making Daisy scrunch her eyebrows up, “- here.” 

  
Daisy blinked, her mind and mouth frozen - thank you wasn’t enough. After a moment of silence she mumbled, “I see that,” with a soft smile and pulled her legs up to get out.

  
“Careful!” Jemma said exasperated. “It’s a miracle you are even awake yet.”

  
Ignoring her friend yet again, Daisy continued to get up. Sousa quietly stepped to action and Daisy gratefully accepted his help. She placed her arm around his shoulders, his hand on her back, as she held his other arm to steady herself while she slid her legs to the ground and stood up. As her feet firmly touched the ground of the Zephyr, she leaned into Sousa’s form, his arms solid around her. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. “Okay, so what does all that doctor-y gibberish mean?” she asked, finally opening her eyes fully - though if the pain behind her eyes had anything to say about it, she’d close them again soon.

  
Jemma frowned tightly, appearing to finally give in and give her counter doctor's orders. 

  
Good, Daisy thought. Takes less time.

  
“It means you have avoided tachycardia and death, but you will likely exhibit symptoms of severe exhaustion, dizziness, muscle fatigue, neck and back pain, headaches, even nausea, vomiting or worse.”

  
“Death sounds better,” Daisy deadpanned at the same exact moment Daniel whispered, “Delightful.”

  
Smiling, she was reminded of his presence in the room. She turned and locked eyes with him, suddenly aware that he hadn’t taken a step back yet; okay so maybe she wasn’t as well as she had hoped. She never lost awareness of her surroundings like this. Their faces were far too close, but she was frozen on the spot when he gently brushed a piece of hair behind her ear that had been stuck to her sweaty face. “Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath, practically holding her breath for that brief moment. She didn’t understand what had just happened nor why he was looking at her that way, a very new way. Her heart leapt in her throat, but she blamed it on her health.

  
“Under normal circumstances I would have you stay under longer.” Jemma’s voice shattered the silent weird bubble that had just happened and Sousa stepped back, his posture changing to that of a soldier. 

  
Daisy squeezed her right hand into a fist experimentally. It burned, but not horribly. However, the pain reminded her of their situation, the mission. “How long have I been out?” Daisy asked, turning to Jemma. “What happened?” 

  
“I’m afraid we’ve run into a few more problems.”

  
“Jemma,” Daisy said coolly with a hard glare, “Where is everyone?”

  
“Enoch and I were setting up your medical care when the Zephyr time jumped. Right after Mack decided to take a motorbike ride to get some fresh air. Deke followed him - he ran into chronicom versions of his parents and had to kill them. Mack was understandably shaken.” Jemma shook her head. “But that’s a long story.”

  
Daisy made a noise as if to ask something, but decided against it with a sigh. She pushed her curiosity aside for when they had more time. “Okay, are they back?” Daisy asked, leaning against the wall now, too tired to stay standing for long, which she mentally admitted wasn’t the greatest considering their mission was desperate enough to wake her up early.

  
“No.” 

  
Daisy’s eyebrows rose at the tone of her voice. “No? Why?” Daniel huffed, but she didn’t turn her gaze away from the scientist.

“We jumped again before they came back.”

“Well, fuck,” Daisy groaned, running her good hand through her gross hair. “Great. Add that to the list. Where’s Yo-Yo? Everyone else?”

  
“Yo-Yo and May were on board,” Jemma offered, all business. “As was Enoch and as you can see Mr. Sousa as well. You’ve been out for a while. They’re out on a lead on Mack and Zeke’s location right now, but it’s a long shot. We thankfully didn’t jump too far.”

  
“Good.” Sighing, Daisy nodded as she wrapped her head around their new situation. “That’s Good. I’m sure they’ll be okay. What year are we in and how long was I asleep?"

"We are in 1983. And a little under eight hours."

"Great, so Mack only had to wait five to ten years," Daisy laughed dryly. "Wait -” She looked up at Jemma in confusion, dread slamming into her gut like rocks. “You didn’t mention Coulson.”

Jemma’s face fell. “Yes, well… Director Coulson didn’t make it.” 

Feeling her throat close up in grief, a senseless grief she couldn’t comprehend, she nodded mechanically. He wasn’t really Coulson, she reminded herself. She understood that, but it tore at a wound that had barely scabbed over.

  
She felt Agent Sousa’s hand graze her arm gently. “I’m sorry.”

  
She licked her lips, avoiding his gaze, and asked, “Can we make an-” But her voice cracked, her bottom lip shaking; Daisy couldn’t finish the question without wanting to sob, so she didn’t. Thankfully, Jemma understood her anyway.

  
“Not for a while,” she answered evenly. “That is, if Mack allows it again, but I believe he will.”

  
“What are you talking about?” Sousa scoffed in frustration. “I am truly sorry you lost someone - I've been there and Coulson seemed like a good man - but what are you two going on about? Make what?”

  
Jemma and Daisy glanced at each other, a silent understanding passed between them. Daisy took a shaky breath. “I’m gonna go shower, if we have the time?” Jemma nodded, leaving Sousa even more confused. Before leaving the room she decided Daniel deserved the truth - he saved her life, she could give him this. Daisy turned to him and met his eyes. He took a deep breath, his features softening noticeably. “The Coulson you met, wasn’t the real man,” Daisy explained, voice quiet. “The real Coulson, the man who was like a father to me, he died twice. The first time was a stab to the heart with an alien weapon. The second time, he sorta sold his soul to the devil. The Coulson you knew was an imitation of the real thing, a robot.” 

  
“An L.M.D.,” Jemma corrected.

  
He was dumbfounded. “Wait -”

  
Daisy smiled sadly and waved to Jemma. “She can answer your questions.” 

  
“Yes, because I have nothing better to do,” Jemma mumbled under her breath.

Daisy rolled her eyes in response - she knew her friend didn’t mean anything by her comment. Jemma had to be worried about Zeke and Fitz and she had been acting weird for a while. She understood. “Where’s Enoch?”

“In the command bridge.”

  
Daisy nodded and without another word left the two to talk. She proceeded in the direction of her bunk on the Zephyr for a fresh change of clothes to change into after a shower, which was her only goal right now. She needed to check her injuries and wash all the dried blood off her skin. She needed to wash away every reminder of the experiments. Every reminder of Whitehall, of Malick. Then she could focus. At least that's what she told herself.

Whether it was a lie or not, she couldn't tell.


	2. Score One For Agent Johnson

Daisy relished in the normalcy of her actions. She let her mind wander, hoping the silence would help her come up with a plan. After washing her skin and hair free of sweat, blood and grime in the painfully compact shower of the Zephyr, she smelled like floral shampoo and citrus body wash. Despite the ache in her bones, a constant reminder of being recently tortured within an inch of her life, she started to feel a little better. She wrapped a towel around her and made her way to her bunk.

Grimacing, she dug around her belongings for clothes. She couldn't find clean everyday basics she would usually wear on the Zephyr - it had been a while since anyone had time to do laundry, she supposed. 

She didn't even have a plain sports bra or white bralette clean. Too exhausted to care, she grabbed whatever she could find, which happened to be a black lace razerback bralette with elaborate cage chest straps. She didn’t bother with a tank top, instead grabbing a grey slouchy long sleeve crop top and high-waisted stretchy black jeans. Before closing the drawer she noticed a hint of blue checkered fabric and paused for a second. It likely wasn’t cold enough to need another layer, but she didn’t care. She grabbed the button up shirt and knotted it around her waist before focusing her attention on footwear. 

She’d rather stay barefoot, but Daisy didn't dare in case they had to run quickly. Sitting on her bunk she laced up her favorite well worn combat boots and decided to eat before she did anything else: namely, talk to Jemma. 

Finally dressed with her wet hair braided, she made her way to the small kitchenette. It was impossible to know the time of day since windows were few and far between on the Zephyr one, but she needed food. It didn’t matter what time it was. 

On the winding route she came up with a plan of action.  Daisy had cataloged her injuries in the shower and while her hand should probably stay wrapped - somehow she was hoping to avoid telling Jemma that fun detail - she was otherwise okay enough. She was still shaky and her body felt like she’d been hit by a car, head first. But most of her injuries weren’t going to reopen.  At least Daisy wasn’t dead, she had that going for her. 

“Score one for Agent Johnson,” she mumbled under her breath as she rounded the corner.  If it wasn’t for Sousa - She stopped herself from going there; her growling stomach, a thankful distraction. 

She looked through the fridge and found nothing appetizing so she dug through the kitchen cabinet next. Grabbing a large jar of peanut butter that never seemed to expire and bread that only appeared a tad moldy, but that’s what a sharp knife was for, she made a sandwich. It was the best she could ask for considering no one had gone grocery shopping for the Zephyr in a while and the shelf-life of available food since they started time jumping had been a bitch. She made two sandwiches, used napkins in the place of plates, and pocketed a package of mystery flavor pop tarts before heading for the lab.

Since Fitz was usually the one who made sure she ate and vise versa, Daisy assumed Jemma had likely not eaten either. When she reached the lab she found her friend bent over a table staring intently at something - so yeah, exactly what she assumed.

“Simmons,” Daisy said as she entered the room. “Here.” She placed the peanut butter sandwich on a napkin on the table as an offering and hoisted herself up on the metal surface directly next to it.

Jemma gripped the back of her neck. “Thank you, I’m starved,” she admitted with a sigh. 

Daisy nodded, ignoring the way the far too dry sandwich stuck to her throat as she took a bite. “We didn’t have many options. But it’s food.”

“Mmm,” Jemma agreed, biting into the bread and making a face.

“Still tastier than 2091.” Daisy swallowed another bite. “Speaking of, how goes the lead on Deke and Mack?” 

“We lost contact with May and Yo-Yo about two hours ago.” When Daisy looked ready to jump into action, Jemma placed her hand up. “We knew it would happen. They’re fine, just unable to contact us. However, if in another hour we don’t hear back, then we’ll want to reconsider.”

Daisy started scoffing down her sandwich, hoping that it would improve her energy. She was in no shape to get back in the field yet, but if her team needed her to, she would. “Did they have to drive far or something?”

“Or something.” Jemma made a face that said it was a long story.

“Kay, catch me up. I’ll report what happened with Malick when I’m done eating.” 

“Actually-” Jemma’s voice went high, putting her on alert immediately.

“What?”

She placed her sandwich down and looked directly at Daisy. “While you were healing, Agent Sousa informed me of what transpired. He - He mentioned Malick’s involvement with Whitehall and you mumbling about a ‘Jiaying’ and that ‘it happened before’ as he put it. I didn’t tell him anything, but he doesn’t seem to be the type to wait for answers to come to him.”

“I had hoped I’d said that in my head. Not out loud.”

“Are you okay? After everything -” Jemma asked, her voice far too sincere for her liking. 

“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” Daisy said with unwavering conviction, cutting her friend off before she poked at her carefully structured facade. “I’m always fine, right?”

Jemma eyed her for a moment but nodded in acceptance and went back to picking at her sandwich. “Do you still have your abilities?” She said it with such nonchalance, but Daisy could hear the nerves in her friend’s voice. 

“Yep,” she said, popping the p, as if she had asked her if it was warm outside today. “I’m not sure how strong they are right now, but I still feel them.”

Jemma sighed, clearly relieved. “That’s very good.” Her demeanor lightened and she turned to Daisy with a little smirk. “Sousa seems suddenly quite  _ dedicated _ .” 

Daisy huffed, slightly startled by the switch in tone. “He’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. legend of course he is. So?”

“It’s just an observation.”

“And?” 

Jemma shrugged. “He appeared at the Zephyr holding an unconscious agent in his arms, all the while drugged and walking on an incredibly painful and outdated prosthetic. He’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. legend, so I wasn’t surprised. But, Daisy, he refused to leave your bedside for more than ten minutes at a time while you healed. I practically had to yell at him before he took a shower and changed out of his bloody clothes. We had offered him a chance to leave before we last jumped. He chose to stay. Do with that what you will.”

Daisy hadn’t gotten around to thinking about what had happened. Not really. She wanted to move past the torture and all thoughts of her mother, of Whitehall and how she almost met the same fate as her mother decades ago. But now that Jemma mentioned it -

Her memory was foggy, but she did remember his hands on her head, gentle fingers stroking her hair as he told her about the war and how he lost his leg. She remembered him uttering promises to bring her home. She remembered him whispering reassurances in her ear, his hand on her shoulder, her face, her neck. She remembered him carrying her out of the barn as it collapsed around them. She remembered him anxiously yelling something to her, his fingers gripping her knee as he placed her groggy form in a car that she assumed he had stolen. 

“How are you fairing physically?” 

Daisy blinked, Jemma’s voice startling her from her thoughts. 

“A shower seems to have helped but perhaps you should rest? Take a nap and then I’ll take your vitals and wrap your injuries.” Simmon’s eyed Daisy’s hand with raised eyebrows - she was caught already. 

_ Yay me,  _ Daisy thought to herself. Grateful for the out from discussing Sousa, she said, “Check-up, it is.” 

“Top off,” Simmons said in her professional doctor tone.

Daisy moved to the exam table, pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the table next to her. 

“I can grab a gown if you’d prefer -”

“I’m fine,” Daisy mumbled, wanting to get it over with. 

After all, she didn’t care if Enoch saw her in a bra and Agent Sousa had to be sleeping by now, especially since he had stayed up with her. 

A lump in her throat grew so she pushed all thoughts of him from her mind.

“Alright, then.” Simmons placed an oxygen thingy on her finger - she should probably know the name of it by now - and went about checking her temperature, heart rate and other things Daisy didn’t care to understand nor ask about. “How are you feeling?”

“I could use a shot of adrenaline. Care to lend a hand?”

Jemma shook her head, unamused, and took notes as she continued. “Pain level?”

Daisy shrugged. “Four, maybe. I still have a pretty bad headache.”

Simmons nodded. “As expected, but not bad. Any dizziness or lightheadedness?”

“Well -” Daisy stopped herself from lying with a sigh. “Yeah. I know you said it’s normal, but will it go away soon? I’m also kinda nauseous.”

“We can’t know absolutely. However, I think by tomorrow you should be feeling a lot better, field ready in a few days.”

“That’s too long,” Daisy grumbled as Jemma poked at the almost completely healed wounds on her abdomen. 

“I had a limited sample of Inhuman DNA while creating the surgical pod. I had no idea we would need it for you as well as May. You can't rush your body, Daisy. The consequences could be fatal if we push you too fast. It’s untested -”

“I get it. I’ll rest, okay?” Daisy gave in. “But first I need a full update. Like why the hell did we jump to ‘82 for only a few minutes?”

Simmons caught her up on everything, on what exactly Coulson had done and why she presumed it was the cause of the odd jump. All the while disinfecting and bandaging Daisy’s neck, the crease of her arms and her abdomen. She tried to argue it was unnecessary, that the cuts were all almost completely scabbed over, but Jemma didn’t care. 

While she opened the package of gauze to use on Daisy's palm, she said, “Your vitals are normal, but I’d feel better if you still took a nap.”

Daisy shrugged. “You woke me up for a reason. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

“Daisy,” the British woman said exasperatedly. “You know why I woke you up. That does  _ not  _ mean you cannot take care of yourself too.”

“And why is that?” They both turned to see Daniel Sousa standing in the doorway. 

“Agent Sousa,” Daisy said with a professional smile. By the time she had looked up to greet him his demeanor changed. There was no curiosity or demand in his actions. No, the man was trying his best to avert his gaze entirely without coming off as rude. Suddenly realizing she was still only in her bra and pants, she nearly laughed.

Simmons paused momentarily to look at Daisy for permission to keep going or if she wanted to put her top on instead. Daisy shrugged and kept her hand held out - they were almost done anyway. Jemma wrapped Daisy’s hand as Sousa almost completely turned his back to them.

“You ‘Kay over there?” Daisy asked, trying not to laugh. 

“Uh, I’m sorry I barged in. I didn’t realize -”

“The door was open. It’s fine,” Daisy said quickly. 

He swallowed noticeably, his hands unsure of what to do slid into his chinos - well those are new, she realized. She smiled, surprised by his embarrassment and sudden silence. She took his momentary staring competition with the wall to really look at him for the first time since waking up. Had he been wearing modern chinos and a blue button up then? The look fit him. It was almost cute.

When she noticed his cheeks were turning pink she took pity on him. “What did you come in to ask, Agent Sousa?” 

“Ah, um -” 

He grabbed the back of his neck as he stared intently at the doorway as if it was the most fascinating thing he’d seen in weeks. Jemma was trying her best not to laugh as she cut the tape and finished up. 

Daisy tossed her shirt on haphazardly the second Simmons was done. “I’m decent, you can turn around.” He slowly turned, his cheeks still ever so slightly hot. “What did you want to ask?”

He tilted his head to the side slightly and eyed her oddly. “I’m not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., I’m Chief of -”

“You  _ were _ ,” Daisy corrected him with a soft smile, “S.H.I.E.L.D.’s West Coast Chief, I am aware. But not here, not on the Zephyr or in the 1970s, not in 1982 or ‘83. Not in the 90’s or early 2000’s. Not where I come from. Everywhere but the 50’s we both outrank you.”

Jemma quietly muttered, “Well her more than I, but the sentiment’s logic is sound.”  Daisy didn’t flinch at the tension in the room. Yes, it was harsh. It also needed to be said, especially if she was to answer his questions. 

His throat bobbed, but the tension in his shoulders loosened. “Alright, Johnson.” His voice was softer, more reserved. “What exactly is your title  _ here _ ?” he asked, waving around at the ship. His tone wasn’t patronizing or a challenge. Just curious. 

Daisy genuinely smiled as he walked further into the room. For a man of his time, she found him surprisingly not annoying. “By here, do you mean in this specific room? Or in general?” she teased. “Because in this room, I’m technically a patient.”

“Yes, you are,” Simmons said with a bit of a bite.

He looked mildly confused by her tone and made a face she could only describe as a ‘whatever the fuck you want’ expression of exasperated defeat.

Jemma stood silently next to her, but Daisy was too busy staring at Sousa to notice the way she looked back and forth between them with increased interest. 

“I started with S.H.I.E.L.D. seven years ago,” Daisy started, licking her cracked lips. “I’ve had many titles since then: hacker, tech consultant, agent, field agent, vigilante, Quake, leader of the Secret Warriors, Destroyer of Worlds, even S.H.I.E.L.D. Director for a bit.” At the last one his interest perked up noticeably. “I get around,” she added perhaps a tad too flirtatiously, though maybe he didn’t understand the double entendre. 

“You’re -“

“Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director? Yes,” Daisy finished for him. “I chose to go back to being a field agent and selected Mack as my successor.”

“And that makes you -“

“Acting Director while Mack is out of commission.” Or missing, as was the case right now, but Daisy didn’t want to label it. “I’m next in the line of command. So,  _ Agent _ Sousa, you can address me as Sir.”

Jemma fell into a coughing fit, which made her almost break down laughing again; messing with him was fun. However, the way Sousa was staring at her, practically openly marveling, didn’t make her want to laugh. It caused her stomach to twist in a way she had almost completely forgotten. 

Daniel’s lips curved into an appreciative smile and she swore she saw a hint of a blush before it disappeared entirely in the blink of an eye. “Alright, Sir. What’s our plan?” 

Daisy choked on her next words. It was only meant to be a joke, but she couldn’t control the way her body responded. Her heart sped up as the compulsion to grip his shirt and kiss him overtook her thoughts. She stayed seated a good four feet away from him, refusing to move. She sat like that for a minute while Sousa stared at her, his eyebrows creased in either focus or concern, she couldn’t tell. 

“Or are you still planning on giving me half answers?” 

Jemma took pity on her and answered for her. “Daisy is going to take a nap while I await an update from Agent May and Yo-Yo on Mack and Deke’s whereabouts. Regardless of what she tells you, Daisy is not field ready and will not be for days. Doctor’s orders.”

Sousa nodded, though he did not move. He had more questions apparently. 

_ Fun _ .

“Thanks for that, mom,” Daisy quipped as she watched Jemma pick up her sandwich and head for the door. She frowned. “Where ya’ going?” 

“Oh, I’ve been away from the command bridge too long. I should check on everything and speak with Enoch - see what he’s scrounged up about the jump drive.” 

Daisy bit her lip as she watched her friend escape the room, leaving her alone with Daniel with far too great a speed. What the fuck Jemma’s deal was, she had no idea. Not until Jemma turned back around in the doorway, grinning brightly she dramatically winked at Daisy before running off. She  faltered momentarily. Whatever Jemma thought might happen between them, she had no interest in. And She certainly had no time for it. Her team was in the field or missing. That’s all that mattered. But when he glanced at her and took a step forward, she heaved an exhausted sigh. She couldn’t just run, could she? Jemma would probably yell at her.

“How are you feeling?” Sousa asked, his voice oddly soft now that they were alone. 

She noticed the way he forced himself to not look anywhere but her face. At first she found it odd and then she thought maybe he didn’t want to look at the bandages, but he didn’t seem like the squeamish type. It was then that she realized he was trying not to look at her chest because some of the straps of her bra were visible under her scoop neck shirt. 

Daisy huffed, choking down a chuckle. “Been better, but I’m alive and I have you to thank for that. I - I don’t remember much.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Daisy tilted her head slightly at his reaction. “Still. Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“There’s no need. I did what any of us would do in that situation. Hell, you provided the weapon. I should be thanking you.”

“You’re welcome,” Daisy teased, grinning like a fool.  Sousa chuckled.  She couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes creased with laugh lines. “I do remember Mike Stevens though,” she said quietly, unsure of whether or not she should admit it. 

Daisy watched his reaction with curiosity as he sighed and nodded in resignation.  “That’s not a story I’ve told many people. No people, truthfully.” 

She nodded, keeping her expression blank to hide her surprise at the weight of his words. An experience like that, the immediate and long term trauma, she understood not talking about it freely. But telling no one since the war? No one, not until her. She felt overcome, honored by the trust he chose to place in her in that moment.  “I think I owe you a story in return.”

“You don’t. You really don’t. I was just passing -“

“On the favor. I know.” 

His gaze shot up to hers and she wondered if her own ghosts of trauma and lost were so apparent in her eyes as well. He hid it well as she supposed she did, but the knowledge made her feel self conscious. 

“Yeah,” Sousa whispered, voice a tad rougher. 

“It’s kinda long.”

He glanced around them in an exaggerated manner. “I don’t think either of us have anywhere to be.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Daisy patted the spot next to her. “If you want? Though we really should get some chairs in here.”

Daniel shrugged. “I’m fine.” 

“Agent Sousa, it’s not improper and you’re not going to catch cooties or some shit if you sit next to me.” 

He sighed heavily and gave in, moving to sit next to her on the table. “You curse a lot, don’t you?” It wasn’t a question of disgust or annoyance, just a statement. Maybe, a bit amused.

Resting her hands behind her, she leaned back against the table and laughed. “I do. Women from my time aren’t as worried about propriety. Some of us curse freely and even burp and spit and god forbid fart. Shocking, I’m sure,” she teased. She bit her cheek and held in a joke about swallowing, knowing that it absolutely would be inappropriate. 

Daniel smiled a crooked grin. “I’m not shocked.”

“Right. After all, you know  _ The _ Peggy Carter.”

His eyes drifted down to her exposed stomach momentarily. He cleared his throat and refocused. “When is your time?”

Daisy opened her mouth but paused on an answer. There was no way Daniel was going back to his time. He was considered dead and he knew far too much. She’d already told him about iphones, so fuck it. “I was born in 1988.”

His eyes squinted a little; a habit he did when he was thinking. “Which means your time is… What? 2013?”

“That’s sweet. You think I’m twenty-five,” Daisy half mocked, but her smile was genuine. 

Daniel’s forehead creased. “Wait are you younger?  _ Older? _ ” 

“I’m thirty-two.”

His face paled slightly as it hit him. “You’re from 2020.”

Daisy nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s home.”

He took a deep breath and shook himself out of it. “I’d be over a hundred.” 

“My grandpa jokes are stinging a bit more right now, huh?” Daisy teased, attempting to lighten the mood. 

He barked a soft chuckle, but she could see the way reality was truly hitting him. “I really am a man out of my own time.”

“Right now we both are,” she said, hoping to comfort him. “Though if I’m being honest this isn’t the weirdest time travel I’ve done.”

He glanced up at her with a confused look on his face. 

Daisy scrunched her nose up and shrugged a little. “The team and I kinda traveled to a dystopian 2091 where humans lived in space because the earth had been cracked apart by The Destroyer of Worlds-“

“Wait, isn’t that-“

“Me? Yeah. Except, fun fact, historians don’t always get details correct.”

“It wasn’t you?”

“Turns out, no. But that wasn’t all. Blue aliens were in charge of humans in the space station and they ran a human trafficking ring. They even could bring dead people back to life just to torture and kill them again - they’re real assholes, way worse than that Mike Stevens you knew.”  Sousa and Daisy both laughed, but he was looking at her weird again. And Daisy couldn’t decide if she liked it or wanted him to stop. She licked her lips and his eyes darted to her mouth - so it really wasn’t one sided, huh. 

“Is that -“ Daniel cleared his throat. “Is that the future we can expect or -“

“It’s complicated but we changed it,” Daisy said simply. 

“I’d like to hear the story some day.”

“Hmm. Most of my stories are classified and very very long.”

Daniel made a soft curious noise and Daisy raised her eyebrows in question. “Is the one about Jiaying classified?” he asked, his face openly curious, but not pushy.

Daisy closed her eyes and took a deep steadying breath. 

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said quickly. 

“No. It’s fine. Just - it’s not simple.” Daisy locked eyes with Daniel who was patiently sitting next to her. “Jiaying was my mother.”

Daniel’s expression changed instantly. It was clearly not the answer he was expecting. 

“My abilities come from Inhuman genetics, which you probably figured out from my conversation with Malick back at the barn.” He nodded but didn’t say anything. She was grateful for that. “My mother didn’t age. When I was a baby she was taken by Whitehall, you know him as Reinhardt, and was experimented on, cut open and dissected -“ Daisy’s voice cracked. “And left for dead. My father found her and saved her, but the damage was done. My dad said she was different after. Cold.”

“You didn’t know her?” he asked softly.

Daisy shook her head. “I grew up in foster care. I didn’t meet my parents until I went through terrigenesis five years ago. But he was right. Jiaying wasn’t a good person anymore. She almost killed me. And dad went mad looking for me all those years.” She sat up and wiped a stray tear away. 

“I don’t know what to say,” he whispered. 

“You don’t need to say anything. I always wanted a family, to know where I came from. I got that. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was still answers. My dad loved me more than anything. And I think at one point my mom did too. They were just too far gone. Their demons took hold, you know?”  He nodded, but stayed silent.  “The last time I spoke to my dad he told me the one and only best day of his life was the day I was born.”

Daniel smiled tightly as his hand found hers in her lap. She intertwined their fingers together without a second thought.

“It sounds like your dad is a smart man.” His voice softened ever so slightly. “I can’t imagine thinking the day you came into his life could be anything other than perfect.” 

Daisy tilted her head slightly when she realized he was leaning closer to her, their hands still clasped in her lap. His eyes were openly roaming her face with such awe, her throat clenched. She didn’t think anyone had ever looked at her quite like this. 

And with that realization she slowly leaned forward and watched his response. He didn’t lean away from her. No. His mouth parted involuntarily and his gaze drifted to her lips. Smirking, Daisy broke the distance between them in one swift motion as her lips lightly kissed his. Within seconds he responded by parting his lips and kissing her back slowly. His free hand gravitated from her arm to her shoulder as she deepened the kiss. She felt him groan against her mouth as her fingers dragged through his hair. Smiling against his mouth she pulled him closer and considered moving to straddle his lap. But before she could move Sousa pulled away. 

“Wait, we shouldn’t-“

His shift in mood made Daisy unlace their hands and pull back as well as she tried to reign in her heavy breathing. “Why?” 

“You were just tortured and -“

Daisy huffed out a chuckle. “Daniel, this wasn’t the first time I’ve been tortured or almost killed. That’s been happening for seven years.”

“It’s a conflict though. I don’t want to take advantage of your state -“

“What exactly is my  _ state _ ?” she asked with raised eyebrows. 

Daniel floundered. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend you.”

She sighed and ran her good hand through her hair. “It’s okay, but to be clear my emotional and mental state is fine.”

Sousa nodded seriously. “Of course.”

“I’ve been through worse and I don’t need you to save me,” Daisy chided him. “I’m capable of taking care of myself and making my own decisions. Jemma woke me up to run the goddamn team. I’m more than capable of deciding who I want to kiss or fuck.” 

They froze, eyes locked. Daisy instantly regretted her spontaneous curse for she assumed it was too blunt for a man of Daniel’s time. But as usual his response was surprising. His chest seemed to rise and fall quicker now as his eyes drank her every movement in. All Daisy could imagine now was unbuttoning his shirt and dragging her teeth down his jaw. 

“We could, you know.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose sky high. So apparently he didn’t think she was serious before. 

Daisy smirked. “We have at least a half hour before Jemma comes looking for me. After all, I’m supposed to be napping, right?” 

“This,” Daniel said, waving his hand between the two of them, “This could be messy.”

She hummed in agreement. Daniel swallowed hard as he watched her scoot closer. Waiting for a reaction from him, she slid her leg over his. When he hesitantly gripped her thigh, she smiled and slid over enough to straddle his lap. She rested her hands on his shoulders and looked down on him from her position on her knees. She felt his hands barely touch her as they skated across her legs and arms. 

“Some might even say, we’re headed into muddy waters,” she breathed against his lips before kissing him once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning out a much longer daisysousa fic now so I decided to finish this one up with one chapter instead of a few like I was originally planning. I hope you enjoyed it none the less! xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I would ship these two together but here we are! This is just a little fun fic, but I do have a few ideas to make it longer. Drop me a comment on here or talk to me on twitter @reylospacebitch if you are interested in a longer multi-chapter, canon divergent AU. <3 xoxo


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